Signals
by rrand06
Summary: Oneshot. Ashley enjoys a nice date with Andros and awaits their first kiss. I don't own Power Rangers.


"Start simulation," Andros said firmly.

Ashley sighed happily as the words were spoken, knowing that it signified the beginning of their sixth official date.

It had taken nearly a lifetime for both of them to realize exactly what it was that they felt for one another and longer to actually say it aloud. And as he took her hand and led her to the yellow blanket spread out in the center of the Simudeck, she wondered how long they could have romantic dates like this one before they admitted to one another that they were an item.

But he had told her in no uncertain terms that he liked her on their last date a few days before, weaving it in with casual conversation as if he hoped that she would not hear. But of course, she asked him to repeat it, smiling as he cast down his eyes and turned red all over before saying it again. But the smile that he had given her after the words came out again was one of true happiness, an emotion that Ashley had hoped that she no longer had to fight so hard to see.

They sat down together on the blanket, the Simudeck surrounding them with bright stars. There was even a light breeze and Ashley snuggled closer to Andros as it sent a chill through her body. She thought that she saw him smile a little to himself as she did and she rested her head on his shoulder after a moment.

"So, tell me about that red thingy," Ashley said, pointing to something that looked the least like a star in the simulated dark sky.

"That's a nebula," Andros replied.

"It's beautiful," she said softly. "Are they always red?"

Andros shook his head. "Not always," he answered, though he wondered if there was anything romantic that he might have been able to say if he had said yes. "But they're always beautiful… like you."

Ashley smiled, reaching for his hand and threading her fingers through his, still leaning against him. "And you're always sweet," she said, unsure of how to return the compliment without it sounding awkward.

She could feel the heat from his body increase as he blushed, still not used to taking compliments.

"I've always thought that nebulae were fascinating as a kid," Andros said, looking wistfully at the stars that surrounded him.

"Why's that?" Ashley asked.

"I always wanted to explore space," he said. "I spent nearly my whole life studying interplanetary media and the differences between orbital and sub-orbital spaceflight… and those." He pointed at a large group of stars to the right of the nebula.

"And what are those?" Ashley inquired.

"Star clusters," he replied.

"How many stars are in clusters like that?"

"Hundreds of thousands," Andros answered. "And nebulae are usually made up of clusters."

"Wow," Ashley breathed, more lost in the sound of his voice than in his words. But she smiled as long as he continued to talk, glad that he said anything at all. "What don't you know about space?" she asked, looking up at him with a giggle.

"Not much now," he answered with a smile. "But there's always something new to learn."

"Again, just like you," she replied softly and he blushed again. "So, what else don't I know about you?"

"Um… I don't know. "

"I do," she said, wishing that she did not have to work so hard to pull words out of him. "Your favorite kind of music, your favorite food, the last time you had the time to date?"

"I like most of the music that you let me listen to," Andros said, thinking aloud. "And I've eaten every kind of food that you've put in front of me. But I don't have favorites, though that box food was kind of nice."

"Box food?" she inquired.

"Yeah, the food that we had to eat with the sticks," he said, mimicking the action with his finger and thumb.

"Oh, you mean Chinese food," Ashley said, smiling warmly at the memory as she remembered the trouble that he had at first mastering the chopsticks and the smile they had shared after she fed him from her own.

"Yeah," he said, his own eyes lit at the memory as he silently sat staring up at the simulated night sky.

"And the last time you dated?" Ashley finally asked after a minute, the curiosity becoming only slightly less than unbearable. After all, she had never heard him speak of any other women in his life and it was less than likely that he would bring up anyone in his past without some gentle prodding.

"My last date was four years ago when I was fourteen years old and I took a friend of Zhane's to a Craterzine for dinner."

"A 'Craterzine'?"

"A restaurant in a man-made crater," Andros said, smiling a little at the face Ashley made as he remembered how ludicrous he had thought Craterzines were when he was first told about them. "But it wasn't a real date."

"Well, what makes a date real for you?" Ashley asked, lifting her head from his shoulder briefly.

Andros shrugged. "I guess actually liking your date would be good," he said. "Zhane always tried to set me up with his date's friend. I mean, they were nice people, but I always felt obligated to take them out."

"And me?" Ashley asked softly, dropping her head and remembering his discomfort during their last official dates.

Without looking up at him, she could feel that he was looking at her and it was not long before he gently cupped her chin and tilted her head up to him, waiting until their eyes met.

"I have never felt about anyone the way that I feel about you," he said.

Ashley leaned into him, pressing her lips onto his as softly as he had spoken to her, drawn in by the earnest look in his hazel eyes.

But only a second passed before Andros just as earnestly pulled himself away from her, standing up suddenly.

"I'm sorry," he said, almost backing away from her. "I didn't mean to do that."

"Do what?" she asked, taken aback by the statement. He was definitely nervous again now. She could see it on his face as he looked anywhere but at her. "Kiss me?"

"I shouldn't have done that," Andros said, his body tensing a little as she reached out for his hand. "Maybe we should just –I should go."

"Andros," she said, motioning for him to walk toward her. "Please… sit down. It's okay."

Andros sighed softly but he made his way back to the blanket, sitting down in front of Ashley.

"Are you okay, Andros?" she asked him against her better judgment. She already knew that once he got this way, it would take a moment before the nervousness left him again and he could be himself with her again. The walls that he had spent years building around himself still built themselves back up from time to time. The walls were responsible for the uncomfortable silences on their first date and the last minute decision to end their fifth date with an awkward handshake.

"I'm fine," he said, his eyes still on anything but her as he turned his attention back to the stars. "D-did you know that some nebulae are made up of hydrogen gases or the material following a stellar explosion?"

"Um, no. I didn't know that," Ashley replied uncomfortably. "Please tell me what's wrong, Andros."

At first, Andros did not answer, looking up silently at the red nebula in front of them with another sigh. Finally, he turned to her and looked into her waiting brown eyes.

"I shouldn't have kissed you," he said.

"Why not?" Ashley asked, wondering if there was a hint of desperation in her voice.

"I really like you… a lot," he began slowly. "But if we move too fast, I know that I'll mess things up… like I did tonight."

"You didn't mess anything up," Ashley said. "I really like you too, Andros. But a kiss won't mess things up."

"It will if it's a kiss you don't want," Andros nearly exclaimed. "I've wanted to kiss you since our first date, Ashley. But I was afraid that if I did, you would think that the only thing on my mind was…"

"Puppies?" Ashley joked.

Andros shook his head, but could not stop his smile. "I'm being serious, Ashley," he said, trying not to laugh. "I… like dating you and I don't want you to think that I want anything other than your company."

"I like dating you, too," Ashley said, taking his hand with a smile. "But your 'company' means that you're just there with me and we're holding a conversation. Even I'll admit that I want more than your company sometimes… More than anything else, I want to see you smile every once in a while. I also want you to relax when we're on dates."

"I _did_ relax," Andros replied. "But then I-I kissed you…"

"Why is a kiss such a bad thing?"

"It may not be," he said, looking away from her. "But I wonder if I… can pull myself back if I let myself get that close to you. I just think that my feelings for you are already pretty strong for this to be our sixth date and I don't know what you want or don't want or what you expect from me at this stage of our… our…"

"Relationship," Ashley finished and he nodded. "I don't expect anything in particular, Andros. But telling me the truth about how you feel about me is a nice step in the right direction… If you want to get… _close_ to me, I'll always let you know if I think that things are going too far. But I also want you to be sure that _you're_ ready for anything that we may or may not do."

"How will I know what you want to do?" Andros asked in a voice so soft and childlike that Ashley could not help smiling.

"Well," Ashley started with a sigh. "Most girls give signals when they want a guy to kiss them."

"Like what?" Andros asked with a shrug, looking away from her again.

"I guess that they may start with going out on a really romantic date like, oh I don't know, a simulated field surrounded by stars… in the dark… on a blanket."

Ashley smiled as she saw the true confusion on Andros' face and continued. "Or she might lean against him for most of the date and hold his hand," she said, squeezing his fingers a little.

Andros nodded a little, glancing up at her and biting his lip and Ashley thought that he might kiss her for a moment. But he lowered his head again.

"But on rare occasions, there are girls who give more direct signals," Ashley said, failing to meet his eyes as he seemed to sink into himself more and more. "Sometimes," she began, gently placing her fingers below his chin and guiding his head up until their eyes met before draping her arms around his neck. "Sometimes, she looks deeply into his eyes and says, 'I'm giving you a signal, Andros.'"

Andros smiled and wrapped his arms around her waist as their lips came together in such a perfect moment of kismet that neither of them hoped it would ever end. And as Ashley pulled him closer to deepen the kiss, she seemed determined that it never would.

**Author's Note**: _Well, this is my first attempt at a fluff story and my very first oneshot. I must admit that it was a much needed break from the heavier material in my chapter story and it was hard to break away from the violence and confusion for something lighter. I hope that as these become easier to write I will write more stories like this in the future. I just hope someone will read em. :)_


End file.
